How to Die
by The Waiting Ninja
Summary: AU Edward never though much about the incident back in lab 5 with the red water. He doesn't really remember it that much. He's seventeen now, repaying his debt by helping Mustang reach the top now Al finally has his body again. But what happens when he and Mustang become targets for assassination?
1. Prologue

A/N: This chapter is from episode 22 of the first FMA anime, the rest is a year after it ended.

"_I don't need your help!" Edward yelled at Scar._

"_Maybe not," Scar told him. "But your younger brother needs you."_

_Ed growled quietly. Hating the fact that Scar was right. Damn it!_

"_Let's go!" He stated, turning away from Scar and heading for his brother._

"_Oh no!" Lust stated. "You aren't leaving until you finished what you started!"_

_Ed paid her no attention. He ran. He ran right into the red water. As soon as his foot made contact with the substance, a strange sensation overcame him. Searing pain raced through him far worse then automail surgery. He could feel himself cry out in pain as the sensation increased. It was overcoming him. His control over his body leaving him as his hand suddenly came up, transforming into a harpoon. It was aimed at Lust but only managed to hit the wall behind her._

_Spikes appeared out of the ground around him, flying off in different directions. He was no longer aware of what was really going on around him. Deaf to the voices and blind to see who might be hit by his transmutations. Power surged through him, causing an unending source of pain. Alchemic sparks flicked across his body. His breathing was laboured and pained. When would it end?_

_Suddenly, he felt warm arms enclose around him. He had no idea why, but it felt comforting, nice... Like he was safe and everything was going to be okay. The sensation started to fade and along with it, his energy. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of those arms around him as he fell into darkness. _


	2. Chapter 1

Edward sighed heavily as he stretched out across the lounge in Mustang's office. It was a nice day outside and here he was waiting on Mustang to finish his paper work so they could go to a stupid meeting.

"You know, Fullmetal," Mustang said, sounding frustrated. "You could be helping me instead of lounging around."

Edward cracked an eye open and peered over at Mustang.

"And if you weren't such a lazy bastard," Ed grinned. "You wouldn't be so behind in your paperwork. I've done mine; I don't see why I should have to do yours as well, Colonel."

Roy glared at him and Ed's grin just grew. It had been a year since the Colonel's promotion Brigadier General, but after four years of an old habit Ed saw no reason to call him anything else. Plus he liked how easily it was to annoy Mustang with it as well.

A year ago Edward had managed to get Al's body back. Though it was still the body of the nine year old who had originally lost it. Along with the mind of said nine year old... Al didn't remember their adventures from the time when he was in the suit of armour. His reaction to meeting a sixteen year old Ed had not ended well... He was in Risembool with Winry. Going to school, hanging out with kids that were his own age and having the childhood he deserved. Instead of the fucked up one Ed had given him.

Things were better now. They spoke on the phone every day, Al telling him about his day and what he had learnt at school. He even called him 'brother' again now. It wasn't much, but it never failed to put a smile on Ed's face. Ed was even able to go back to Risembool every few weeks for the weekend to see his little brother. He missed him so...

Others often asked him why he was still in the military, so why didn't he quit? He had achieved his goal. And that was it. He had achieved. He still had his automail, but Al had his body. What would he do now? He wasn't sure. Risembool didn't hold much for him and he was too young to settle down anyway. There was so much he had left to do in life, he just didn't know what that was exactly. So for now he settled for paying back the friends he had in the military by helping them achieve their goals. Even if it was the bastard he was helping.

Suddenly, a bang went off right next to Ed's ear, breaking him off from his day dream. He moved instinctively. His automail was transformed into a blade as he flipped himself over the back of the couch, taking an offensive stance. It was only when he looked up and saw the smug bastard smirking at him with fingers poised to snap that he clicked with what had happened.

"What the fuck, Mustang?" He growled.

The bastard let out a chuckle, obviously amused at Ed's reaction.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings, Fullmetal," He smirked.

Ed clapped his hands and removed his blade, rolling his eyes as he did.

"And you should stop being an ass," Ed snapped back.

Mustang continued to smirk at him as he picked up his paperwork.

"Come on, Shorty," Mustang said as he headed for the door. "Let's get this meeting over with. You never know, the Fuhrer might start to give way on this whole republic movement."

"Fat chance," Ed mumbled. "And who the hell are you calling short?"

After Bradley's fall Hakuro had stepped up. The bastard was a damn sight better then Bradley, but he was a greedy fucker. The people of Amestris were calling for a change in government. Mustang and himself had been trying to change the government of the country all year. The people had a parliament, but it was really nothing more than a facade. Since the fall of Bradley, the people had become aware of it. To have a representation of the people govern the country rather than the military. Now that is what this country needed. The idea was well supported, but not by the people who could make it a reality.

"Come on, Ful-" The Colonel started before everything went to hell.

It happened in an instant. The Colonel had just touched the door knob when the door exploded, knocking Mustang into Edward. The young alchemist was thrown off his feet by the weight of his commanding officer. They hit the ground hard, Mustang laying on top of him.

"Get your fat ass off me!" He screamed at Mustang, but no response from the man. "Hey! Bastard! Get off!"

Ed pushed the man off him only to notice the man was no longer conscious. His head was bleeding; obviously a part of the door had hit him in the explosion. Ed could see the man was breathing, but didn't get much further in checking him before men started piling into the room. Lots of men. Men with weapons. Alchemic items and guns alike.

"Fuck..." Ed hissed as quickly dropped to the ground with a clap of his hands, causing thick stone walls to separate them from the small army in the room.

Ed wasted no time in clapping again and making the floor vanish from beneath them. He landed gracefully on one knee, while Mustang hit the floor of the room below them with a loud thump.

"Oops..." He almost laughed as he clamped his hands and made the ceiling whole once more.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Edward was running down the corridors of Headquarters. Normally this would be nothing new and just a part of what happened when he was around. Now was a very different situation. A small army seemed to after them and to top it all off he was lugging around his commanding officer on his shoulder. He was huffing and puffing from not only the strain of the man's weight, but having to run with it. There was no way he could carry the man and be ready to use his alchemy quickly unless he did it like this. But damn! Mustang weighted a ton! Plus he was larger than him, making it awkward as hell.

The enemy was everywhere. Someone was attacking headquarters. Ed had already dropped the Colonel several times in order to fight off the enemy and neutralize them. The small peace he would gain never last for long. There just seemed to be a never ending amount of people waiting to attack them.

They would have gunmen and at least one alchemist with them. They were well and truly prepared to say the least. However, that didn't mean they would win. Ed would sling Mustang to the ground; summon up some protection for his commanding officer before jumping into the fray.

A clap and his trademark blade would appear. The alchemists were good, but not as good as someone who had the knowledge of the gate backing them. Their alchemy limited in combat, obviously meant for suppression of their opponents. They could draw other alchemy, widening their options and possible influence over the battle, but Edward never let them get that far. He took them out before going after the guys with guns.

The guns pissed him off. He'd been grazed by more bullets then he could count at this stage. One particularly nasty was causing him to limp slight as it hit his thigh. A flesh wound but more than a graze for sure. If it wasn't for his speed and alchemy he would be dead already, which meant Mustang would defenceless unless the git woke up soon. Fat chance. Lazy bastard.

The only problem was, he was being run down. If he wasn't carrying Mustang, he was fighting. He had stamina. He had shit loads thanks to Izumi's training, then four years running around looking for the stone, and then this last year hadn't exactly been a piece of cake either. But even he had his limits. Ed had been on the run for nearly an hour now, constantly on the move. Every exit seemed impossible and hiding wasn't an option. Every time he found a possible place to rest he was attacked. It just never ended.

He was approaching the mess hall. He slowed and listened. He could hear someone coming! He glanced into the room to spy Mustang's team at the other entrance. Yes! Back up! He ran towards them when hell practically opened up before him.

Alchemists blocked his exit, cutting him off from the team and the entrance he had come from. Ambush! Edward practically threw his commanding officer under a table before putting up some walls of his own. He was constantly clapping summoning cannons, firing projectiles at the enemy. His cannons were keeping the enemy at bay while Mustang's team seemed to be doing their best in order to make it into the mess hall. They had Armstrong on their side from the looks of things which meant they had two alchemists at least. Though, he was practically pinned down in the middle of the large space. He was a sitting duck.

Ed was so focused on the battle outside his barrier; he didn't notice what was happening within it. He didn't notice the twitching of Mustang under the table. He didn't hear the bastard groan or start to move around. He didn't notice as the disorientated man got up from under the table and stood up for the enemy to see. He didn't notice until one shot was fired much too high to be aiming at him in his crouch. It was then he heard it, the sick 'thud' of a body hitting the ground behind him.

He'd head the 'thud' several times over the past hour. From the drop of bodies from the enemy, to when he was practically throwing his commanding officer around. But this was different. There shouldn't be a 'thud' behind him. His eyes widen as he turn and saw Mustang on the floor, blood pooling around him. His mind went blank.

"No!" He screamed, fear ripping his heart in two at the sight of his commanding officer on the floor.

Not just his commanding officer, the pain in the ass of the past five years of his life. The person who had helped him get Al's body back and continued to give him direction in life, his friend, Roy Mustang.

Ed didn't even realise he was running towards Mustang until it was too late. He could hear Hawkeye calling his name, Armstrong yelling and the gasps of the team around them. He could hear the enemy talking around him when the pain hit him.

He gasped as the bullet hit him the back of the head. But that was it. Everything faded away and went to black for the boy. All he knew now was darkness and searing pain that flared up through his body, taking him over.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter three

_Edward wasn't sure where he was, only that he was blissfully free of the pain. His body, mind and soul were unharmed as he floated in the unending white. He was confused, so very confused. He couldn't remember how he got to this place or why he was even here. The only thing he seemed to know for sure is that something bad had brought him here. Whether it was his actions or those of another, he wasn't quite sure. Probably was his fault. He was always screwing up one way or another._

_Ed sighed heavily as he floated, feeling rather... well... bored. It gave him time to try and remember how or why he was here but he wasn't turning up anything. The last thing he could remember clearly was laying on the lounge in Mustang's office, giving the older alchemist shit for being lazy._

_Suddenly, the atmosphere changed around him. It went from being peaceful and pleasant to icy and sickening. Ed felt ill. He knew this feeling. How could he forget it after having been there so many times? He looked up to see himself approaching the gate._

_Why the hell was he here? Was he dead? Had he done something stupid again?_

"_Welcome back, Mr Alchemist," a voice echoed around him, sending a shiver down his spine._

"_What the hell am I doing here?" He demanded._

_There was silence for a time. It was eerie. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, alerting him that the silence wouldn't last for long one way or another. A low creaking sound broke the silence as the doors opened up before him. Ed's eyes opened wide._

"_No..." He whispered, turning as if to escape but the back hands were already upon him. "NO! Not again!"_

_There was only silence from the gate itself, but he could hear the shadows within laughing at him, enjoying his panic._

"_Stop!" He yelled out. "I didn't summon you! I didn't want this!"_

_The laughter from the shadows grew louder, as he was pulled towards the gate. Ed struggled with all his might, but it made no difference._

"_Why?" He asked almost desperately. "Why are you doing this? What did I do?"_

_It was then the gate finally spoke again._

"_You paid the toll," it said simply. "Equivalent exchange."_

_Ed frowned. He didn't understand. _

"_I haven't paid for anything!" He yelled at the accursed thing._

"_It's time for you to return." The gate said. "Good bye, Mr Alchemist."_

"_You piece of shi-" He started to scream before another black hand wrapped itself around his mouth._

_Ed's struggles were renewed when he went beyond the threshold of the gate. Slowly, the doors closed. There was a loud sound as the doors came to a rest before Ed was left in darkness. Inside he feel the shadows pulling at his limbs, laughing at him in such childish voice. This wasn't like when they tried to bring mum back. It was almost like... The memory was fuzzy but this happened before, and it hadn't been pleasant._

_He tried to scream, but he was just pulled deeper and deeper into the darkness. _


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter four

"Primary target has been taken out, move to secondary!" An order came from the enemy.

Alex had stopped his struggles and attempts to gain access to the mess hall when he saw the young alchemist fall. His heart ached at the sight of his two comrades. The young Elric had fallen onto his commanding officer, Roy Mustang. Roy and Edward were both gone.

"Secondary target has been eliminated, pull out!" The next order came.

That was it? The siege upon this honourable institution had been all about taking out two of the finest alchemists Alex Armstrong had had the pleasure to know. The Flame alchemist was honest and a kind man, hardly deserving of this fate. The Fullmetal alchemist was still a mere boy, only recently turning seventeen. He was far too young to be taken from this world.

Alex Armstrong could not let these horrendous actions of murder to go by unpunished. The Armstrong's for generations have never allowed a comrade to fall, stand by and do nothing for the enemy.

Alex pulled back his arm and punched his gauntlet into the wall, finally breaking through into the mess hall now the enemy's alchemist were no longer focusing on them. He ran into, ready to unleash his artist alchemy upon the enemy. The rest of his comrades followed him, ready to capture the enemy and make them face the consequences of this tragic crime. They would not get away with this; the state will punish them for their horrible deeds against such fine men!

Before Alex or anyone else could attack something happened that made everyone in the room stop. It shocked them all to the point where they weren't sure if what they saw was real or not.

Edward Elric had stood up.

Alex's eyes widened. Was it possible the boy was still alive? Hadn't that been a successful headshot? Could it have missed or just been a grazing shot? The gaping hole in the boy's head dashed any hopes he had of the shot missing. And yet the young alchemist was standing. Though, standing might not be the right word for it. The small boy was swaying violently, his motions jerking around as if he was not truly in control. The air within the room seemed to be drawn to young Edward. It was a subtle breeze at first, but it quickly picked up, becoming dangerously fast.

The enemy had opened fire on the younger alchemist, obviously to finish the job they had been sent here for. At that point is when hell seemed to come to headquarters once more. Only this time, it was the enemy's turn to experience it.

The boy was suddenly glowing blue, his eyes radiating with light. It made it impossible to see his eyes. Sparks flickered across Edward's body. Alex could feel the alchemic energy that seemed to pulse through the boy. He tried to swallow, but it was as if something was caught in his throat. This couldn't be good. For anyone.

The bullets never made it to their target. They seemed to come within a certain distance of the young alchemist before fading away into thin air. Impossible!

However, that was nothing compared to what Alex saw next. His head wound was repairing itself before them. It was unbelievable to watch as everything just went back together as if the boy had never been hit by the bullet. The only proof of the action was the blood that stained the blonds' dishevelled hair, skin and clothing.

The blue light radiating from Edward went out and touched Roy. Before Alex could see what was happening, he quickly had to alchemize a wall before himself as a spear appeared out of thin air, heading straight for him. The impact of the weapon caused the tip of it to penetrate his wall slightly through to his side, impaling itself on his work. Alex could feel the sweat falling down his face as he imagined what might have happened should it of hit him.

Spears and spikes were appearing around the boy as his body started to move more and more violently as the blue light pulsed through him. It was so familiar. It took Alex a few moments to place why it was so familiar. It hit him suddenly, causing him to feel slightly ill. It was almost like laboratory five all those years ago. But how is that possible? There was no red water to set the boy off this time.

Alex could not ponder on it for too long. Instead he focused on creating cover for his fellow comrades. The weapons were fired at friend and foe alike. Apart from protecting his friends, there was not a lot he could do for the boy who seemed to be almost painfully overwhelmed by what was happening to him.

Spikes began to appear under the boy, slowly creating a mountain that pushed him higher and higher. Alex tried to call for the boy to stop this, but his pleads seemed to fall on death ears. The boy either couldn't hear him or wasn't in a position to care.

The enemy's numbers were slowly dwindling. Many struck down by the boy's weapons. The alchemists were being killed one by one, unprepared for this type of onslaught. Only a few remained, but one by one they were falling. Alex continued to do what he could to protect everyone. Most had fled. However, some, like himself, were pinned down by the onslaught. He couldn't run. Nor would he. Not until he had tried everything to get his friends out of this situation. He had to attempt to stop Edward.

It was then Alex saw something that shocked him all over again. It cannot be, but yet it was.

Roy Mustang had sat up.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Roy's head hurt. It pounded painfully, causing him to groan softly. To add to his discomfort, he was lying in a rather odd position on the hard, cold floor. What was he doing on the floor?

He vaguely remembered something happening at the office. Something bad. But everything was blurry after that. He was trying to remember why he felt like shit. Then it hit him.

_Slowly he crawled out from under the table. The mess hall? Why was he here? He couldn't hear the gun fight going on around him. His hearing completely messed up from the explosion earlier. _

_He stood up and gazed around lazily. Fullmetal? He was confused by what the boy was doing. A cann-_

_That was as far as he got when a bullet hit him in the chest, hitting his heart. He was on the floor in an instant. Everything started to fade away quickly as the taste of blood filled his mouth and he fell into darkness._

He died. He had died.

Roy bolted upright. His headache faded and he was suffering no other real pain. That can't be right! He ripped his shirt open to find there was no wound. Only a new scar to add to his collection. He had been hit. Yet somehow he wasn't dead... Roy found himself shaking slightly. He was okay? He could feel his heart beating as he placed his hand over the scar. He was okay.

The sounds of Armstrong calling out to him broke him away from his thoughts. The mess hall was... a mess! There was blood everywhere, alchemized objects either buried in the wall or within a body, and a fierce wind that caused him to look up.

Fullmetal!

The boy was on top of a mountain that looked to be made of alchemized spikes. The boy was moving around violently, his movements disjointed like he was a puppet on strings. Spikes, spears and other pointy object were formed and sent out towards the few remaining people alive in the room. All except for Roy.

Roy could see Armstrong and his team were pinned, unable to escape whatever Ed was doing. Roy got to his feet, deciding he had to try and stop the boy himself.

He pulled himself up off the floor. His hand touched something wet. He looked down to see a pool of blood around him. Roy suddenly felt ill. Another reminder that he had definitely been hit, that he had died. As quickly as he could, he moved around from the blood. He left bloody footprints behind him, causing another wave of nausea to hit him. He'd seen death, countless times. Hell, he had been the cause of more the half the death he saw. But to see evidence of his own death? It was enough to shake any soldier.

It took Armstrong and Hawkeye's calls to get him focused again. He could think about this later. For now, he had people who needed him. He couldn't allow this to affect him. Not yet anyway.

With a slight amount of hesitation, Roy got his gloves out and pulled them on. Maybe he could shock Edward into stopping. With a snap, a small explosion should have gone off next to Ed's head but it was blocked by a barrier that appeared then disappeared as quickly as that. Roy tried again, and again, but got the same result. Damn it!

The next one, he decided, would be just a small burn to the kid's shoulder. Nothing too bad, but maybe enough to stop this madness. Again he snapped, and it hit! Oh shit... How could he feel so happy about that? Roy felt ill again. He had to remind himself it was for the greater good. He was hurting Ed to save Ed. It was only a small hurt, right? For the greater good.

Ed's flesh clearly burned, and the shock from the attack almost knocked him off of his little mountain. Roy frowned as the pulsing of alchemic power seemed to increase, causing the winds to pick and the light from Ed's body to grow brighter. The burn healed before their eyes, within seconds. It was if nothing happened. In a way Roy was happy his subordinate was okay, though annoyed that this was not going to be an easy task. Roy groaned. Of course, nothing was ever easy with this kid. Maybe he could stop this if he could get to the kid?

Without another thought Roy raced over to the mountain and began to climb quickly. The wind was beating him around, but he persisted. The spikes seemed to be constantly shifting around him, attacking those around him. Though, oddly enough when Roy climbed, the ones he was using did not move until he was gone. It was strange. He wasn't getting attacked and the mountain seemed to be accommodating to his needs. Now if only Fullmetal was like that.

The closer Roy got, the more he could feel the power coming off the boy. He could smell, feel, and practically taste the alchemic reaction happening around Edward. Though the closer he got, the harder he found it to fight through it. If it wasn't for the fact he felt he was in the best shape he had been in a long time, he would have probably been overwhelmed by it all. Maybe he simply felt so good because he had a second chance? Something else to ponder on later.

"Fullmetal!" He tried calling out to the boy as he climbed. "Get a hold of yourself, Fullmetal! That's an order!"

But his calls had no effect. Would anything have an effect? What if he couldn't stop the young alchemist? His subordinates were down there. They needed help and Edward didn't seem to care who was friend or foe right now. The only one who wasn't getting attacked was Roy himself.

Roy pulled himself up the last few feet. He could almost touch the boy now. He was puffing from the climb. The winds were making it harder and harder, but he couldn't stop now. When he was close enough he grabbed the jerking alchemist, wrapping his arms around him in an attempt to restrain the boy.

Edward's body jerked around wildly in his grasp, almost knocking them both off the spike mountain, but managed to hold his ground and the alchemist. Slowly, the jerking became less and less as Edward became limp in his arms. Roy tightened his grip on his subordinate as he passed out where they stood.

Roy breathed a sigh of relief. He stopped it. His subordinates were safe, he was safe and from the looks of things the enemy was subdued. Roy looked around, wondering how the hell he was going to get himself and the boy down safely. Thankfully, Armstrong was quick to come to their rescue. A set of stairs was alchemized for them to use. He gave the larger alchemist a thankful smile as he carefully moved the young boy in his arms so he could get a hand under his knees. It was no easy task. The kid weighed a ton!

His team greeted him at the bottom with wide range of expressions. Concern, for Edward and himself. Confusion about what the hell had just happened. Paranoid, as if there might be more enemies, though all the ones in this room were now dead. Happiness, as their whole team had somehow made it through this insanity alive.

Roy frowned as he looked down at the unconscious alchemist. He was so pale. His hair was mostly out of its customary braid. It seemed to have lost its normal shine, looking practically dull. Ed's breathing was short and ragged, as if it was either too hard or painful. The kid wasn't looking so good.

"Sir?" Riza said carefully. "We need to leave. We need to get you both to a secure location."

Roy nodded, thinking about where they could go. They needed someone to look at Edward to see if he was alright. He also needed to get checked over, to make sure everything was okay. It wasn't every day someone survived being shot and not even having the wound to prove it. Well except for a little scar anyway.

"You're welcome to use the Armstrong Estate," Armstrong suggested. "It would be an honour to have you at the house. It is extremely secure and large enough to house everyone while we discuss what has happened."

"Thank you, Armstrong," Roy said, deciding that would be their best course of action. "Is there anyone you might be able to call for us doctor wise. Fullmetal isn't looking too hot."

"Of course," Armstrong said as they got moving. "Our family doctor will be able to look at young Edward and perhaps make sure you have not sustained any... damage."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter six

On the car ride over to the Armstrong estate, his subordinates did their best to explain what had happened today. Or at least what they knew so far anyway. Headquarters had been strangely empty, though the people his team did come across, were apparently not as fortunate as themselves. They confirmed he had indeed been shot. Then proceeded to tell him Fullmetal had received a head shot. The small alchemist had been laid out over their laps in the back. Roy inspected Edward's head, but like himself, there was no real sign he had been shot. All that remained was dried blood in the boy's hair, on his skin and on his clothes.

Upon arrival they were greeted by Armstrong's eccentric family. They were welcoming and offered their home for as long as it was required. Something about the honour of the Armstrong's to do with helping out friend and comrades no matter what. A doctor was summoned and would arrive shortly.

Armstrong carried Edward up to a room where he could rest comfortably while he waited for the doctor. The soft hearted man held the boy firmly in his grip, looking down sadly at the boy in his arms as if he might disappear at any moment. Roy had seen the look on his fellow alchemist before, during the war.

"There's a bathroom just down the hall," Armstrong informed him. "There should already be some clean towels in there. Lieutenant Hawkeye is already looking into getting some spare clothing for you."

"Thank you," Roy said quietly.

Roy continued down the hall with Armstrong, only to stop at the doorway when the large alchemist took the boy himself. The room was large and well decorated. White satin sheets covered the bed. Armstrong didn't hesitate to place the rather dirty boy in the bed. Edward was placed under the sheets, Armstrong only pausing to remove Edward's boots, before tucking him in.

Roy turned around and headed for the bathroom. In the large bed, Edward had looked so small, almost childlike. Fragile and breakable. That wasn't Edward. That wasn't Fullmetal. Even on his worst days in hospital, the boy never looked so close to being lost to this world. Roy couldn't look at him anymore. He would shower, by the time he got out the doctor would be here to give them news information, and they could proceed from there.

It didn't take Roy long before he found the bathroom down the hall. He closed the door and locked himself in. He stood there for a few moments, thinking. His thoughts were drawn to Fullmetal who was somehow connected to how he was somehow brought back to life. Roy shook his head and started to pull his jacket off. His black shirt followed, being dumped on the floor next to his jacket. They were both stained by his blood. Hopefully Hawkeye wouldn't be too long with getting him some clean cloths. There were some dress robes in the bathroom he could use until then.

Roy hesitated as he went to take off his eye patch. He always did. He'd had many scares over the course of his life, but this was not one of his proudest battle wounds. He sighed and closed his eye as he took the eye patch off. He opened his eye again, but frowned when his second eye followed suit. Part of his vision, was blurry. He was so used to having narrowed vision that this extra part startled him. He blinked several times before looking into the nearby mirror.

There, staring back at him was Roy Mustang, the Flame alchemist, with both his eyes intact. Carefully, he touched his eye, flinching at the contact. It was real. It wasn't possible. It wasn't possible. What the hell had Fullmetal done to him?

Roy tore out the bathroom, running down the hall shirtless, back to the room where Edward lay. What the hell had the boy done to him? He had to know. The best doctors, alchemists and scientist told him that the damage was irreversible. The kid throws an alchemistic fit and defied everything he believed in as an alchemist. Only Edward could tear up the rules, rewrite them and somehow make it all work out. Roy had to know why, he had to how.

The door was closed. He didn't both to knock, he threw the door open. He had been ready to shake the boy awake and demand to know what the hell he had done. However, at the sight of everyone gathered around Fullmetal, helping to hold him up as the doctor listened to Fullmetal's lungs, seemed to stop him. His shock and anger dissipated. He couldn't scream at the kid, or shake him, not right now. The doctor had arrived and he didn't seem pleased to have random people barging into the room. Everyone else looked up at him and stared. No surprise considering he was covered in blood and somehow regained his eye.

"What do you want?" The elderly man said, obviously annoyed. "Unless it's urgent, you'll have to wait."

"Nothing," He said quietly, slightly annoyed he had been so quick to race back in here.

Roy turned to leave, to get back to getting cleaned up when he heard something that made him stop. A groan. Roy looked back at the bed, as a slightly louder groan came from Fullmetal as the doctor shook him slight, obviously wanting him awake if he could manage it.

"Come on, son," the doctor tried to gently coax the boy away. "I just need you to wake up for a little while."

Roy could see from where he was when Fullmetal's eyes fluttered open. The look in his eyes was dazed, as if he was somewhere far away.

"Son?" The doctor said, trying to get his patient's attention. "Do you know where you are?"

Edward didn't answer. He didn't do anything actually except lean against those supporting him, his eyes drifting shut.

"Hey, hey," the doctor said as he took Edward's face gently in his hands, obviously not willing to let the kid sleep just yet. "Stay with me for a few minutes. Can you tell me if anything hurts? Do you feel ill?"

Edward again said nothing. He looked so lost and confused. The only change was when he started paling significantly. The doctor seemed to be quick, grabbing a nearby waste basket when the boy began to start vomiting.

"Except for you," the doctor looked at Havoc who was holding Edward up in the sitting position. "I'd like everyone to leave. If you wait outside, I'll talk to whomever in charge of the boy's care when I'm done here."

In charge of Fullmetal's care? Practically an orphan, except for a missing father, the responsibility of Fullmetal's carer fell to Roy, as Fullmetal's commanding officer. For another year anyway, then that would be one less responsibility for him. He sighed as he left the room with everyone else. Figures he wasn't even in the office and the kid was still giving him more work to do.

Roy gave Fullmetal one last look as he left the room. Figures, the kid was already asleep again.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Everyone was waiting outside the bedroom now, awaiting news on how Edward was doing. Roy had been forced back down to the bathroom at gunpoint by Hawkeye. The woman was not pleased at his dramatic entrance. She had clothes for him, and ordered him to shower without disturbing anyone else. Despite her annoyance, she did seem slightly pleased and confused as to the miracle healing of his eye.

Now he was clean, he was waiting with everyone else for news on Edward. Most were staring at him, but they forced themselves to turn away every now and again. It seemed forever until the doctor finally came out.

"Doctor," Armstrong said. "How is Edward?"

"Resting," the doctor said, glaring at Roy. "Who is the boy's guardian?"

"I'm his commanding officer," Roy said volunteered. "I'm probably the closest he has to a guardian right now."

The doctor seemed to hesitate, causing Roy to frown. He looked out for Edward for five years now, he had always done what he thought was right by the kid. He couldn't be doing that bad a job considering everything.

"Young Edward," the doctor continued finally. "Is feverish, extremely so. Add extreme fatigue and dehydration, as well as the start of malnutrition and that leaves us with a very serious situation. When was the last time he ate or had anything to drink?"

"This morning," Havoc said, frowning. "He ate a full breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausages, pancakes, toast and two bottles of juice. He had enough to feed the whole squad."

The doctor frowned.

"Well whatever he had," the doctor said slowly. "It's no longer in his body. Whether he expelled it himself or involuntary, it doesn't matter. I've left an IV drip to insert after he's been cleaned up. To try and help him, but there isn't a lot I can do for him here. Just try and get him to take as much food and drink as you can. Slowly and in small portions. Protein shakes would be best to get him started. This way his body won't reject it."

They all nodded, some already heading in to check on the boy. Whatever Edward had done, it was clearly taking its toll on him. Roy felt bad. He'd been so focused on himself, he hadn't really thought that Edward would have to pay so dearly. He should have though. Equivalent exchange, though it didn't seem fair somehow. They got their lifes' and his eye in exchange for? A sick alchemist. Something wasn't right with this, ignoring the fact it was impossible anyway.

"Now where is my next patient?" The doctor asked.

Roy stepped forward. The doctor nodded and led him to the next bedroom where they could have some privacy. The examination didn't take long. After all, he felt fine. Better then fine really. He felt better than he had in years. There was a buzz in his system. Perhaps a side effect of whatever Edward had done to him. The doctor gave him a bill of clean health before he returned to the others.

He came back to find only maids in the room, changing the sheets for a clean set. Frowning, Roy made his way downstairs in order to try and find someone. Most of team were in the rather large dining room.

"Where's Fullmetal?" He asked his team.

"Havoc's trying to get him cleaned up," Hawkeye explained. "General, did the doctor say anything?"

"No," He said. "Apparently I'm fit, healthy and very much so alive."

"Then we'll have to make sure you stay that way," Hawkeye continued. "With today's attack many officers have been lost, mostly high ranking officials. No one has yet to claim responsibility for the attacks. Both you and Edward are on their list, so we'll have to organise a safe hiding spot for you."

"Lieutenant," Roy interrupted. "Forgive me, but I don't think hiding will help. We are in the middle of a possible government shift. Hakuro is feeling the pressure from people within the military as well as from the people. If I disappear now, all our hard work will be for nothing."

"Sir," Hawkeye's tone become hard. "This attack may very well be over this change. Most of the officers dead were in support of it. With you being the primary, everything would stop with you."

"Then why have Fullmetal as the secondary?" Roy countered.

"Edward," Hawkeye paused, considering her words. "He has a lot of weight with the people, as well as in the military. In some ways he surpasses the support you have. It is his support that is driving people, making them believe. If you had not survived, he could have still possible made it work. Same as if he hadn't survived, but you did. The dead target could have been the martyr to spur this on."

The room was quiet for a moment. Was this really all about the change of government? What else could it be? Nothing else but this was happening that was so dramatic.

"Even so," Roy said, determined. "Running will only give them what they want. We could draw them out better if we pretend nothing happened. Hopefully, Fullmetal won't take too long to recover..."

He wondered how the boy was doing.

"We've decided," Hawkeye picked up again. "You two will be together most of the time. This house is secure, but we'll be putting up a guard. It would be easier if you shared a room. The more we can focus on the two of you together, the better our defence will be."

Roy nodded, not fazed by the idea. Edward might not like it when he was well enough to care.

"Have we heard anything yet as to why Headquarters was so empty yet?" Roy inquired.

"I've managed to contact a few friends," Hawkeye answer. "They had orders to attend a training exercise just outside of the city."

The idea that soldiers were taken away from Headquarters on purpose, leaving only those they wanted dead behind seemed to confirm the idea that the higher ups were involved in this. Though was Hakuro involved? Very possible. However, could someone simply be trying to remove obstacles for their own path to Fuhrer-ship? Or to simply get on the Fuhrer's good side? The possibilities were endless, but Roy was sure clues would come with the next attempt. Maybe this time they could get someone alive and get their answers. If Fullmetal could contain himself that is.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Edward was floating. He'd been between places since he had first woken up. He felt like shit. He tried to stay conscious but found himself passing out far too quickly and often. His eyes fluttered open to see a figure standing over him. They were blurry. He didn't even have the energy to try and get his eyes to focus. Something between a moan and a whimpered escaped him as his eyes started to drift shut. He was so tired...

"Boss?" Came a voice said quietly. "You with me?"

Ed made another noise as he tried to keep his eyes open, but they were already starting to droop again. He frowned slightly as a realization slowly came to him. Water... He was surrounded by water. Ed looked around, confused. Where was he? Havoc, the blurry figure was Havoc he realized. The smoker was busy trying to do something with his hair.

"Just cleaning you up, Boss." Havoc explained calmly. "You're covered in blood, grime and God knows what."

Ed groaned when the realisation of his situation came to him. Naked, in a bath, being cleaned up by Havoc. It was hard to keep hold of this realisation of what was going on around him. His head filled like it was full of cotton wool. Everything was so fuzzy. He tried to move a little, but he felt so heavy. As if all his limps were made of automail.

"Hey," Havoc said, gently stroking the younger blonds' face. "It's okay. Nearly done, then we can get you back to bed."

Ed didn't flinch away like he normally would. He just couldn't manage the action voluntarily or not. Instead, he surrendered to the touch. It was almost comforting. He was so tired. It was so relaxing. He hadn't even noticed he was slipping off into a doze, until Havoc started to pull him out of the water. It jerked him into a slightly more alert state.

Havoc moved him around, arranging him as easily as if he was a doll on floor. Ed moved a little, trying to get away from the man. This was embarrassing. However, Havoc was not so easily put off his task.

"Come on, Boss." Havoc said gently. "Just let me finish this up."

Ed could feel a towel rubbing against his skin. He couldn't do much to stop Havoc or even help.

At some point between being dried off and being dressed, Ed had passed out. He was leaning against something. Someone? There was a gentle tugging of his hair. He opened his eyes to see it was still Havoc. With a hair brush?

"There we are," Havoc said, obviously happy this was over. "All clean and no more matted hair."

Havoc pulled the boy up into his arms again. Edward groaned at the movement. It was started to make him feel ill. Thankfully, Havoc walked slowly. The feeling didn't get any worse, but not any better. He was slowly starting to slip into a doze again, when Havoc spoke again.

"Boss, I've got to ask," Havoc hesitantly. "How the hell did you do it?"

Ed frowned, opening his eyes slight. He made a confused noise. He didn't understand. Havoc seemed to get the idea.

"How did you bring not only yourself," Havoc continued quietly. "But the Chief as well, back to life? You were both, well, very dead and then not so dead..."

Dead? No that wasn't possible. He had died? Had Mustang died? No... That defied the laws. All is one, one is all. You don't just un-die. You can't be brought back. If Mustang is alive, he never died. It can't be done! There is a one way flow to life and no one can simply push back on that current! He should know! He had the fake limbs to prove it!

Ed's stomach turned uncomfortably, causing him to groan as he paled again. Havoc seemed to notice how upset he was becoming by this news.

"Boss?" Havoc's voice echoed around him.

Suddenly he was falling. His world crumbled around him. He was fading into black, overwhelmed by the idea that he not only died with Mustang, but somehow brought them back to life when he had clearly failed at this before.

A soft mattress under him, a warm blanket covering him and a cold cloth on his forehead brought him back slightly. He whimpered slightly, feeling lost. Something was missing. He was missing something. But what? He had felt this way since the doctor was with him, but it was becoming more uncomfortable now. It was like he was missing a limb, but not really something so material.

"Edward?" Came a soft voice.

He cracked his eyes open to see Fury sitting with him. Where was he now? It wasn't a room he recognised. His eyes were starting to drift shut again when he felt someone shake him.

"Sir?" Fury said gently. "You need to drink some of this."

Ed looked at what Fury was holding. It was a bottle with a straw attached. Ed tried to move to sit up, but only managed to wriggle round slightly. Fury took the hint and helped him up. The straw was brought to his mouth. Slowly he sucked up whatever it was. He could taste strawberries and bananas. It was nice. But after a few mouthfuls he found himself becoming tired again. The last thing he recalled was leaning against Fury. Voices echoed around, him but he was already too far gone to recognise them or what they were saying.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Havoc had left Edward with the doctor before heading downstairs to where everyone was gathered. He quietly entered the room, obviously not wanting to distract everyone from the meeting. However, that didn't do much as they were all waiting to hear about Edward. Hawkeye looked up, stopping the discussion of guards and rosters.

"Report?" She said to him.

"The kids fine," Havoc said. "A little out of it, but he's all clean at least now. Wasn't really awake much. He'd be with me one moment, and then he kind of nodded off again."

"Fury," Hawkeye said, looking over at the younger man. "If you could go keep an eye on Edward while we finish up here, that would be good."

The young solider jumped up when his name was called.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, quickly leaving the room to do as he was asked.

"Havoc," Roy said, getting the smokers attention. "Did Fullmetal say anything?"

"Nah," The blond shook his head. "I asked him about the incident, but I didn't really get a response. I'm pretty sure he just dropped off again on me."

Roy nodded, but didn't say anything. Maybe when he was more rested he would perhaps be able to tell them about what he had done and how it was even possible.

Roy felt strange. He felt something tugging him. He had felt the small tug since his revival, but it was becoming more and more obvious in his mind. Not much more was discussed in their meeting. Just the roster of guard duty, security of the estate, security when at the office, etc. All the stuff he wouldn't get a say in. They decided that it would be better if they covered his eye again when in public and set up something with the hospital to perhaps make it look like he had received surgery to repair the damage. However, that would have to wait until the current situation had blown over.

Roy excused himself from the meeting, following the tug curiously. It let him to Ed. Once he was in the room where the boy was currently residing, the feeling oddly enough disappeared. Ed was currently leaning on Kain, drinking some of the protein shake the doctor suggested they give him to try and help him get better. Though, Ed seemed to be slipping off to sleep where he sat.

"How is he?" Roy asked quietly.

Kain looked up at him, as he gently settled Ed back into bed.

"His fever spiked at some point when Havoc was cleaning him up," Kain said as he rewet the cloth and placed it back on the boy's forehead. "The doctor put the IV drip in before leaving. He said he'd be back tomorrow to check on Edward. Ed managed to drink a little of his protein shake, but didn't seem all that with it."

Roy nodded as he approached the bed. Edward lay still. The only movement was his laboured breathes.

"You think he'll be okay?" Kain asked quietly.

"Yes," Roy said with certainty. "Fullmetal, is a tough little shrimp. He's done the impossible so many times and made it out okay. He'll do it again."

The impossible indeed.

There was a soft knock on the door before it opened to reveal Armstrong.

"General?" Armstrong said quietly. "I need to talk to you about a pressing manner."

"Shall we take a walk then?" Roy suggested.

Armstrong nodded. They both left the room. The tugging feeling returned now he wasn't with Edward. Strange.

"Major?" Roy asked, wanting to hear what was on the alchemist's mind.

"What young Edward did earlier," Armstrong started as they walked down the hallway. "It was not the first time, sir. Nearly two years ago, when we rescued the boys from laboratory five, the boy had a similar reaction there."

"What caused it?" Roy asked, frowning.

There was so very little he knew about the incident as Edward had not told him and anyone else who knew had been ordered to keep their trap shut by a monster. By the time that monster was dealt with incidents like laboratory five were long forgotten.

"The boy stepped into a large spillage of red water," Armstrong explained. "It set off the reaction, but did not do anything similar apart from that. The boy passed out in the end, but his wounds didn't heal, he didn't have any of his current symptoms."

Roy pondered on this. What was different about this time? The lack of red water was obvious. But if anything this time sounded much more serious then the last and there was nothing to amplify the boy's abilities. Is that the reason for his current state?

"Major," Roy said carefully. "See if you can get a hold of Fullmetal's medical records. Look for things like extreme fatigue, malnutrition and dehydration."

Edward was turning out to be quiet the little mystery. If it had happened once and escaped his notice, was it possible to have happened before? Roy considered ringing Alphonse, but the boy had no memory of the time he was in the armour, so probably wouldn't have the information they needed.

Later that night, when it came to sleeping arrangements, Roy found it surprisingly easy to fall asleep despite the energy he seemed to buzz with. It was always awkward trying to sleep under guard. However, this time he didn't even seem to notice them. Edward had woken a few times before this and they had managed to coax him into drinking more of his protein shake, but he never stayed awake for long.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

_Roy found himself in his office, doing paperwork. Just like every other day. Read a report, sign it off, put it in a pile to be collected by Hawkeye, avoid a bullet in the head, and move on._

"_Really, Colonel?" Came a voice._

_Roy looked up to see Edward lounging on the couch in his usual cocky, arrogant manner. He frowned. When had he arrived? He didn't hear the door and it was rare that Edward would make a silent entrance._

"_After a long, hard day at the office," the boy continued. "You dream about being back there? You are pathetic. Even I didn't peg you as being this boring and unimaginative."_

_Dream?_

"_Fullmetal," Roy said, his usual calm demeanour in place. "What are talking about?"_

_Edward allowed a smirk to appear on his face._

"_Come on, Colonel shit head," the boy said, sounding amused. "You really think you're at the office? Last I checked there wasn't much left of your office. Then again, you wouldn't remember much about that."_

_The boy clapped his hands and suddenly, another Roy and Edward appeared. The real Roy frowned at the appearance of their doubts. Okay, if this wasn't a dream, he was going insane. The doubles were heading for the door. It seemed really familiar._

"_What in the wor-" Roy started before an explosion cut him off, silencing._

_A loud clap made the doubles stop in mid flight as they went sent flying back from the door. Roy looked at the boy who was still on the couch._

"_At this point," Edward said, with a smirk on his face. "You become a very useless and very heavy bastard. Seriously, you need to lose some weight. Your fat ass is not easy to drag around."_

"_I'm not useless!" Roy growled at the boy as he got up from behind his desk. "And I'm not fat! It's all muscle. Now tell me what the hell is going on, Fullmetal!"_

_Ed didn't seem too fazed by Roy's little spat. He just grinned, as if enjoying the fact the man was losing his cool._

"_Come on, Colonel," Ed said as he pushed himself into a sitting position on the couch. "I thought you'd like to get a better idea about what happened today. Better then signing paperwork isn't it?"_

"_You said this was a dream." Roy said slowly, frowning. "Which means any possible ideas you give me, would be unrealistic."_

"_It is a dream," Ed said as if wasn't really that big a deal. "But that doesn't mean I'm a figment of your imagination."_

_Now Roy was really confused. This is a dream, but yet Ed was real? This is just fucked up._

"_I don't understand," Roy sighed._

_Edward looked at him, as if thinking very carefully about what he was going to say._

"_Colonel, I'm not sure if I can completely explain what the hell is going on," Ed said. "But I can give you the knowledge I possess before I got stuck in here. Wherever the hell I did to you yesterday? A piece of myself got attached to you. As annoying as it is."_

"_So..." Roy said slowly. "This is just a piece of you? Not all of you?"_

"_Yeah," Ed nodded. "The rest of me, is still in my body. I can feel the draw of it from here, lying next to you. You've probably felt it to. The fraction calling to the whole as it were. I'll go back to my body; I'm slowly being pulled back. But until then, I'm stuck here."_

"_As if it wasn't bad enough having you run havoc around my office," Roy sighed. "You're running around my head, or I'm going insane."_

"_You make it sound like I enjoy being stuck in the head of someone as boring as you," Ed said in a cheeky manner._

"_Well you're definitely small enough at least," Roy teased the blond back._

"_Watch it, Mustang," Ed warned him. "Real or not, I'll kick your ass."_

"_Whatever, Fullmetal," Roy shrugged, figuring that it wouldn't matter if the kid did if it was a dream._

"_Take a seat, Colonel," Ed motioned to the couch. "Watch my memory of today and then you can decide if you're crazy or not."_

_Roy hesitated before taking the seat. The room moved around them and things continued from where Ed had stopped it. He watched the kid drop him into the corridor below. He wasn't pleased about that. The scene moved around them, as if it were one of those motion pictures people seemed to enjoy._

_He watched, curious. Could these events be real? Did the kid really lug him around half of headquarters, protect him and essentially save his life? Roy didn't say a word until he saw his death through Ed's eyes and fall into the darkness of Ed's own death._

_He had a better grip on the people who had come after them, but nothing on the idea that a piece of Ed was inside him. His subordinates had told him about the enemy, but seeing it made it easier for him to analyse. Roy wasn't sure yet if this was a dream, he was crazy, or what. He would just have to keep it in mind when it came to getting through their current situation._

"_Well," Ed said, breaking the silence as they sat in darkness. "Our times up. I'll see you tonight."_

_Roy frowned and opened his mouth to speak-_

When suddenly he found himself waking up.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter eleven

Roy felt warm. Too warm. He moved, but was unable to get comfortable in the bed. Something heavy had him pinned. He groaned, annoyed by this. Roy slowly opened his eyes and sighed heavily in annoyance. He glanced to his side to find his sight filled by gold.

Edward's hair was fanned out, covering his face and much of his back. The boy's metal arm lay out across Roy's chest, trapping him against the cuddling teenager. It made Roy uncomfortable that Edward's head was not only so close to his, but also laying on his chest, ancroching on his space.

Roy frowned as he heard a snicker coming from the door. He looked over to find Havoc sitting in the guard's seat, looking very amused.

"Didn't think that the boss was the cuddling type," the smoker said. "Did you?"

With that comment, Roy shoved Edward off of him. From the looks of things he hadn't moved during the night. Edward, however, had made his way from his side over to Roy's at some point. Roy hoped it hadn't been long, though judging from Havoc's amusement it could have been.

The shove didn't have the usual affect it probably would have had on Edward. While it did wake him, there was no yelling, growling or physical conflict that Roy would have thought would happen. Instead, Edward looked around with dazed eyes. Their eyes connected for a moment, before the younger alchemist curled up where he lay, into a ball to go back to sleep.

"Aww..." Came Havoc's voice, sounding slightly more amused then before. "You didn't have to be that rough. The kid looked so cute."

Roy glared at Havoc. He was not a morning person at the best of times. Let alone when he woke up to being teased or to find one of his subordinates curled up against him, invading his personal space. However, he was concerned. Edward wasn't a morning person either. He'd woken the kid from enough naps or early in the morning to know this behaviour was not normal. Carefully, he brushed away the golden veil and pressed his hand to the sleeping teenager's head. Edward was still warm, much too warm.

"Have you been keeping an eye on him?" He asked his subordinate. "He's burning up."

"Yeah," the blond frowned. "I've been checking him throughout my shift. He was fine."

"Well he's not fine now," Roy grumbled as he got out of bed.

It was too early for this. As he headed for the door, he noticed it was not even seven o'clock. Definitely too early for this. Especially since he didn't have to be at work today. Figures he wouldn't get a chance to relax and sleep in.

"Where are you going?" Havoc asked.

"Kitchen," he said simply as he opened the door.

Falman was standing guard at the door. Nothing was said. There was no argument. Roy needed caffeine and he needed it now. Or the likelihood of people being reduced to ashes was significantly higher. Falman fell into step behind him as he headed for the kitchen. The trip was silent and uneventful. Just the way Roy liked it.

The kitchen was busy, with many of the Armstrong's staff preparing breakfast and organizing the meals for the day. However, coffee was not hard to get. In fact, it was practically placed in his hand before he was ordered out of the kitchen.

Roy retreated with coffee in hand to the living room area where he could sit on one of the many comfy lounges. Falman still followed him, but did not take a seat as he had. There was silence as Roy drank the first half of his cup.

"Report, Falman?" He requested now that he felt slightly more awake.

"Nothing to report, sir." Falman said quietly. "Over night there was no suspicious activity and no attempts. Everything ran smoothly."

Roy nodded, thinking this over. Did the enemy know he was alive? They had been unable to verify if Fullmetal had dealt with the enemy or if some had managed to get away. There was still so much to take into consideration for the situation. It made his choice about not going into hiding even harder to not regret. If he ran, they won. If he stayed and got killed, they won. It was a tough situation. He just hoped they would make it without too many casualties.

Roy continued to sip his coffee. His thoughts drifted to what Fullmetal had shown him last night. Was a part of the boy really in his head? Or was his imagination just that good. What could he ask of his subortinates in order to verify it, without giving them cause to question his judgement?

A small sound at the door got his attention. He looked up to see a rather scruffy looking Edward, followed by a very confused Havoc. While it was nice to see the kid up and about, it caused some concern. Should Edward really be up and about? He didn't really look any better. Still pale, still looking dazed and still looking so tired. It was almost amusing to see the boy wrapped up in the giant blanket from the bedroom and yet still have half of it dragging on the floor behind him. Almost being the key word.

"What's Fullmetal doing out of bed?" Roy frowned.

"Sorry, Chief," Havoc said as he trailed after the slow walking teenager. "I'm not actually sure. The Boss got up. He said something was missing. He led me here. I've got no idea to be honest. I haven't been able to get much more out of him."

Roy's frown deepened. Missing? It couldn't be, could it? The whole looking for its fraction? Was it not just a dream after all? Roy placed his cup down as Edward stopped not too far from him. The younger alchemist was swaying slightly. He looked so lost as he stood there. Roy went over and carefully took hold of Edward's chin, forcing him to look up at Roy. The boy was still too warm. Had Havoc not had time to do anything about this fever?

"Fullmetal?" He tried, wondering if the kid would speak again, as Havoc had said he had.

Edward said nothing. Just like with the doctor. It was almost creepy for Fullmetal to be so silent.

"Fullmetal," He tried again. "What's missing?"

"Missing..." Edward said so quietly that Roy nearly missed it.

The blond's voice was so hoarse and quiet, barely a whisper at all. But the boy spoke. That was something. Hopefully it was a good sign. The sooner Edward could function properly again, the better off they would be. After all, he had proven himself as not only one of the nations best alchemists, but also a very impressive fighter. An asset Roy was grateful for in his climb to the top.

"Tell me what is missing," Roy pressed.

"Missing..." Came the same answer from the boy.

Roy sighed. This was getting them nowhere. Edward's eyes were already drooping more and more often the longer he stayed standing.

"Okay," Roy said, giving it one last try. "Where is it?"

Edward did not reply this time. Instead, he leaned against Roy and pressed into him. It surprised Roy, causing him to frown. Definitely not Ed like behaviour. He sighed once again. He'd better get the boy off his feet before he collapsed or something. Carefully, he tugged the blanket out of Edward's grasp. The younger alchemist did not resist or complain, he just swayed where he stood, watching Roy.

Gently, Roy guided Edward to one of the lounges. He laid the large sheet on the lounge and adjusted the pillows. Without much coaxing, Edward curled up on the lounge while Roy wrapped the sheets round him. The boy fell asleep quickly, allowing Roy to go back to his coffee.

"Aww..." Havoc said, smiling again.

"Not a word, Havoc," He warned the man, obviously not having enough coffee to put up with the teasing.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Chief," The smoker smiled mischievously.

"Right," Roy replied, not believing it. "He's still warm, can you look after him?"

"If he lets me this time," Havoc said as he left the room.

Roy frowned. Let him? He glanced at the sleeping boy. He couldn't be that hard to take care of right now, could he? Roy shook his head slightly as he went back to sipping his coffee.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Roy decided that, despite Armstrong's glowing recommendation about their doctor, he definitely did not like him. The man was beyond rude, patronizing and demanding of everyone, but his patient. Which in this case was Edward. The kid was doted on, spoken to gently and given the utmost care.

Roy didn't like being patronized or demanded of by a stranger. Rude wasn't an issue. It was just another annoying feature. Though it might have been the fact that Edward was being treated in a way that the boy would normally reject almost violently, and yet didn't seem to be able to, that Roy detested the most. Edward was never one to like doctors in the first place, let alone ones that treated him like this. However, the boy just quietly allowed the doctor to behave in this manner as the doctor examined him.

They were still in the living area when the doctor arrived. They were all immediately reprimanded for allowing the young alchemist to not only leave his bed, but also not returning to his bed for proper rest, and for not feeding him enough of the protein mixture.

"This child needs lots of care and consideration," the doctor insisted. "Not to be walking around, having his rest disturbed by the noises of the manor, and left in the incompetent care of questionable people."

The doctor was so lucky Roy had managed to have three cups of coffee before he had arrived. Especially as during this speech the man practically glared at him. Then again, if Fullmetal had been himself, the doctor may have not even gotten past the word 'child'.

"My men are more then capable of ensuring Fullmetal's needs," Roy said dryly.

"It's not your men I'm talking about," the doctor muttered grumply.

Roy held his usual cool, calm and collected mask. However, subconsciously he was rubbing his thumb across his middle and forefinger. Just because the doctor just so happened to walk in when he had been trying rather unsuccessfully to get Edward to have some more of that protein shake, did not mean his was incompetent. Edward just seemed more interested in sleeping or leaning on Roy then food at that moment. Another worrying behaviour.

The doctor ignored them as he turned his attention back to Edward. From his case he brought out a thermometer and carefully slipped it into the boy's mouth.

"That's it, son." The doctor cooed Edward. "Just relax for me."

While he waited for the temperature check, he went around checking other things such as pulse, ears, eyes and other things. Roy decided he definitely needed more coffee if he had to deal with this man much longer.

Havoc stayed with Edward and the doctor, while Falman went with him. Not much was said. Roy was still annoyed over the doctor's comments.

Just as Roy managed to get his cup refilled in the kitchen before being shooed out once more, Armstrong approached him.

"Sir," The larger man said quietly. "I have the information you requested."

This got Roy's interest right away. It was better then going back to watch the doctor.

"Let's take it into a private room," Roy suggested. "Falman, could you go back and get the update on Fullmetal? Once you have it and the doctor has departed, let us know."

"Of course, sir." Falman nodded, pausing only to see which room they had selected before leaving.

Once within the private room, Armstrong handed Roy the folder. It was larger then he thought it would be. How often had Edward suffered the listed symptoms?

"Have you had a chance to look through these?" Roy asked, as he flipped the folder open.

"No, sir," Armstrong replied. "I did not want to intrude on young Edward's privacy. Also, I do not have the time. I must be off or I would be late for work today."

As much as Roy was aware that Armstrong was under the command of another unit, he wished it wasn't so. The man was not only useful, but a good member of their team when they were able to work together.

"Very well, Major," Roy nodded. "Thank you for this and everything else you have done for us. If you could keep an ear out for any information that would be useful, I would appreciate it."

"Of course!" The man said, rather enthusiastically. "Anything to be of assistance!"

With that, Armstrong left him. Roy sat down behind the desk and started to go through Edward's medical files. They were organized chronologically, which made things easier. To begin with he skipped ahead to the date of the lab five incident. It was about the time of Elicia and Edward's birthday. It made the time stamp for the incident much easier. The majority of the file was before this date. Roy had a feeling the incident at lab five was the starting point of what was happening to Edward. He set the smaller pile of reports aside and began with the larger pile, dating back to when Edward first joined the military. While lab five might have been the start, Roy wanted to be sure it couldn't have happened before that.

Going through the reports was tedious work. He didn't even recall over half of these incidents. This probably wasn't even half of Edward's actual medical file. The kid was in the hospital for injuries more then illnesses after all. Though the picture these reports painted of his youngest subordinate, shows for all those years of searching, he had been running himself practically into the ground.

There was a soft knock on the door, interrupting his train of though.

"Come in," He told them as he put the files back into the folder.

Falman appeared and gave him the best news he had heard all day. The doctor was gone. With very little hesitation Roy went back to the living area to hear a full report on what the doctor had to say. Havoc was easily getting Edward to drink the protein shake as the kid leaned against the smoker. So now the brat was hungry.

"Report?" He requested.

"Yes, sir," came Falman's reply. "Edward is doing better then yesterday. His fever, while still present, is lower. He is much more alert, though still rather disorientated. Overall he seemed to be on the mend. The doctor believes he will make a full recovery given time. There is a possibility of course that Edward's recovery mentally may not run as smoothly as his body will, but the doctor doesn't believe it will be that bad. Doctor Knott shall return tonight for another check up before we retire for the night."

Mental recovery? Roy frowned as he looked at the kid. He hadn't even considered any sort of lasting or prolonged damage to the young prodigy's mind. Could that have been the cost for what they got?

Roy spent the rest of the day in the same room as Edward, worrying about the consequences of what the kid had done, while slowly went through the medical files Armstrong had left him.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_The stench of scorched skin filled the air, almost suffocating him. The screams of the innocent people surrounded him, practically deafening him. The sight of the dead and dying, most certainly consumed him. Everywhere Roy looked, all he could see, was the horror he and his fellow soldiers had unleashed. As much as every fiber in his body told him it was wrong, he couldn't stop. He had orders. He had to kill. No life was to be spared._

_Roy walked through the slums, soldiers going with him, but obviously keeping their distance for their own safety. Many begged for their lives, or for their children's lives. He was not deaf to them, but he might as well have been. A snap of his fingers and the pleads turned to screams of panic, pain and grief. There was no blood, only blackened bodies. _

_Roy could feel his resolve breaking as he laid eyes on his next victim. He had to do this. He had to, but it was just a child. Probably no older than ten. He looked up at his executioner with no fear, only hate. Behind him was a younger boy. The older boy was trying to protect him. His stomach heaved itself as he was about to snap his fingers, it caused him to pause._

_He could hear the soldiers around him. They were demanding he do it. To hurry up. To just get it over with. He could feel his eyes stinging with tears as he raised his hand to the two boys. He was sorry, but it had to be done. He snapped, they screamed. Not once did the older boy look afraid, he had been ready to die at the age of ten for his brother. That thought was the last straw. His stomach revolted against him, forcing him down on his knees so he could empty his stomach._

_After his stomach was long since emptied, he continued to dry heave where he knelt. Tears had escaped past his mask. This isn't what he had signed up for. This isn't what he wanted. The shouts of the men around him faded slightly as he felt someone wrap their arms around him. He didn't know or even care who it was. He just buried him face into their shoulder._

_The arms around him were strong and reassuring. Roy felt safe. He didn't have to fight anymore. He didn't have to kill anyone. He could just stay here. One arm moved slightly to stroke his hair. It was soothing, he continued to be held._

_It took Roy a while before he realized a few things. The first was that there was silence. No wait, he could hear humming, coming from the person who held him. The tune wasn't one that he could recognise. But the screams? The pleading? The shouting? The orders? They were all gone. _

_Roy frowned at this and opened his eyes. Lingering tears blurred his vision, but there was no mistaking the clothing in front of him. That red coat. Roy quickly scrubbed his eyes clear of tears at the realization that Fullmetal had been the one who held him. How much had the kid seen?_

_Edward allowed Roy to pull away, as the older man was obviously fine now. Well, if not fine, then no longer in need of being held like a child. The boy did not say anything, nor did he look at him with any form of pity. No, there would be nothing like that from either of them. They had both been to hell, they had survived, and they would continue to move forwards past it. It was just that from time to time they would stumble on their way, but that's where fellow survivors come in to help them back up again._

_It took Roy a few moments for him to realize they were no longer in the slums of Ishval, but instead back in his office. He frowned._

_"How...?" He began to ask when Edward interrupted him._

_"It's a dream, Mustang," The younger alchemist shrugged as he got off the floor. "Doesn't have to make sense. Plus I figured this place would be a better backdrop. After all, that couch is really comfy."_

_As if to prove his point about the couch, the kid threw himself onto it. Roy took a seat next to him, feeling a little awkward. It's not every day someone got to see his demons and worse, his weakest moment._

_"Thanks," He said quietly. "For..."_

_Roy just let himself trail off. He wasn't going to restate what had happened._

_"Forget it, Mustang," The kid said. "It happens. Just be glad I won't be remembering any of this. Plus I've had years of practice with Al. It's a big brother skill."_

_Now that got Mustang's attention right away. He dismissed every other word that came out of the kid's mouth._

_"What?" He asked, staring at Edward. "What do you mean you won't remember?"_

_"Yeah," Ed just shrugged. "Pretty sure it's some psychological bullshit. But the last time this happened, once I returned to myself, everything that went on outside my body was forgotten. Well, at least until I was put in your head anyway."_

_"Hold on!" Roy snapped, getting confused. "This happened before?"_

_"Yeah," Ed smiled at him. "Just once, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I have something to show you."_

_Roy opened his mouth to object and demand more answers when Edward clapped, changing the scene around the lounge. Instead of being in his office, they were surrounded by white. He could see another Edward floating around._

_"This follows on from after I died," Ed informed him, his voice sounding a little tight. "After I got shot, I ended up here. Definitely not one of my favourite places, I assure you."_

_"Why are you showing me this?" Roy couldn't help but ask as he watched a door slowly appear._

_"I need someone who will remember the facts," Ed told him quietly. "There are too many unknowns that still need to be figured out. Like what I paid in exchanged for our lives. How the hell I even managed it in the first place, blah blah blah. Or you could think of it as an equivalent exchange. A nightmare for a nightmare. Not my worst, but it serves a purpose."_

_"You don't know what you paid?" Roy frowned, the scene freezing before him._

_"No," Ed said, sounding annoyed._

_"Well you," Roy started. "Or the physical you, isn't exactly mentally well right now. Maybe you paid that way?"_

_"Nah," Edward dismissed his fears. "It's just the exhaustion and the fact that a part of my mind is stuck in yours. That'll fix itself. Just watch for now, we'll talk later."_

_With that the scene before him continued. Slowly Roy began to realize what Ed meant by a nightmare for a nightmare. He could practically feel the black hands on his own skin, sending shivers down his spine. The gate. Just watching made him hope he would never have to meet the real thing. The scene was short and quickly over._

_"That is my last recollection outside of your body," Edward revealed as the office reappeared around them._

_Roy pondered for a few moments. What could Edward have lost in exchange?_

_"You mentioned a last time," Roy said slowly. "Explain."_

_"Come on, Bastard," Edward said almost playfully. "How the hell do you think I got my brother back?"_

_Roy's eyes widened in shock. His brother? Considering everything that had happened at the time with his own injuries, attempting to be charged treason and everything, he hadn't even taken Edward and his brother into consideration. Nor had he even thought to ask._

_Roy opened his mouth to demand to be shown the incident when-_

-he felt a sudden pressure pressing in around his rib cage.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Roy was jerked into the waking world when he felt something creating pressure around his rib cage. It wasn't a crashing pressure by any stretch of the imagination. It was just enough to alert him to something that shouldn't be happening.

His eyes snapped open, almost as if he was expecting something drastic to be happening. Instead, he almost growled in annoyance. It was Edward. Again! The annoying, bite-sized, alchemist curled up against, if not practically on top of, him on the couch. Why couldn't Roy even nap in peace?

Roy was laying across the couch, some of Ed's medical reports still clutched in his hand. He spied the rest in the closed folder on the coffee table. He had a suspicion Hawkeye had taken the liberty of cleaning those up after he had fallen asleep.

It took Roy a moment to realise Ed wasn't the only one of the couch with him. Havoc was rubbing the teenager's back gently. This time thankfully, the smoker wasn't grinning like an idiot enjoying hilarity of the situation. Instead, he looked concerned.

"Havoc?" Roy said, his voice rough from sleep. "Get him off."

The blond looked up at him, obviously unaware Roy had woken up. Roy was offered an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Chief," Havoc said quietly. "I've been trying. It's just every time I do, he seems to tighten his grip on you. I didn't want to wake you."

"Well I'm awake now," Roy couldn't help but sigh. "He's sick and not even conscious from the looks of things. He can't be that hard to deal with. Why was he even allowed to come over here in the first place?"

Havoc didn't answer right away. He seemed more interested in fixing the situation then explaining it. The smoker was trying to pull the kid off him, but Edward didn't like that. The brat wasn't even awake and he was being difficult. The younger blond whimpered quietly and clung to Roy, annoying the older alchemist.

Roy sat up and tried to pry the boy's arms off him. It was only then he noticed Edward was shaking slightly.

"Havoc, stop," Roy commanded.

Havoc paused. His hands were still on the boy. It didn't take long for the smoker to realize what Roy had. Ed was shaking. Roy lifted Ed's face to see it screwed up, grimacing at something. A nightmare?

"Fullmetal?" Roy tried, giving Ed a rather rough shake. "Wake up, brat."

Havoc looked at Roy. The smoker didn't seem all that impressed by his commanders chosen tactics in waking Edward.

"Hey," Havoc said, frowning slightly. "Are you serious? That's how you would like to be woken up if it was you? No offence, sir, but you would make a crap big brother."

Roy frowned. Big brother?

_I've had years of practice with Al. It's a big brother skill._

Edward's words floated into his head, filling him of the memory where he had been the one experiencing the nightmare, and Edward was the one being there for him. If the boy had grabbed him, calling him something like 'Colonel shithead', it probably wouldn't have the same calming effect that Edward's tactic had. The gentle, but firm hold around him, the slight rocking movement, the reassuring rubbing of the back or stroking of the hair, and the humming. All of these things had made his fears and his sadness fade away. And yet all he wanted to do was get the kid off him. Roy was naturally a leader, not a big brother, father or anything. He had no experience in these things. He had sisters. Hell he had lots of them. But by the time they came to the 'family' they were too old for this type of thing.

Roy swallowed and looked back up at Havoc, who was still trying to calm the blond down, who was starting to mutter in his sleep. Most of it was impossible to make out. Just a word here or there could be made out. Like; hurts, Al, no, please, stop.

Roy sighed heavily as he moved the blond slightly that was still very much so attached to him. He slipped one arm around the boy and the other came to rest of his head. He couldn't believe he was actually going to do this. Seemed sort of silly really. Or even stupid. He would never hear the end of it if Ed ever found about this. Then again, hopefully he would be too embarrassed to even mention it.

It wasn't hard to recall the tune that Edward had hummed to him during his dream. It seemed to float around his mind, almost like it was stuck there. Equivalent exchange, right? At that, Roy started to hum. It was soft and didn't sound quite right, but it almost had an immediate effect on the younger alchemist. Roy even rocked slightly, trying to bring back what he had experienced.

Edward's mutterings stopped. As Roy continued, the shaking stopped and the grip relaxed as well. Soon, the blond was peacefully asleep once. It took some time, but finally he could be rid of the brat and this stupid situation.

"Get him off," He told Havoc, as soon as he thought it was safe to stop.

"That wasn't bad," Havoc said quietly. "But you still need work."

Roy frowned at his subordinate as Edward was taken away. Not bad? It worked, hadn't it? He had the couch to himself once again and Edward was no longer distressed. Win win, right?

He couldn't help, but shake his head as he swung his legs over the edge of the couch. Roy opened the folder and pulled out the last few reports. So far nothing had been related to what had been happening now. He skimmed the last few reports before picking up the report that would hopefully give him some answer. Edward's medical report on the day Alphonse got his body back.

The report itself was long, spanning over the blond's week spent within the hospital during his recovery. It matched up perfectly to what was happening right now. The exhaustion, fever, malnutrition and dehydration. Even the fact that Edward was unusually clingy and disorientated. In the end the hospital had resorted to restraining the boy in order to stop him going to Alphonse's room. Considering the younger boy's memory lose it was probably necessary to stop freaking him out. A stranger wondering into your room and into your bed would be enough to freak out any nine year old.

The report gave Roy hope that things would begin to improve soon. As long as Ed didn't push himself, he should be okay within a week; maybe two as Edward seemed to have discharged himself before he had completely recovered. In the next few days he would even be coherent again. That is if Edward were to recover at the same rate as last time. Hopefully later tonight he could find out exactly what Ed had done to put himself in this situation last time, and get closer to answers.

Funny, either Edward was really in his head, or he was looking forward to his own decent into insanity.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

While the doctor was with Edward, everyone else was in the dining room having dinner. Fury had volunteered to stay with Edward while he was with the doctor. The kid thankfully didn't seem to be having any more trouble sleeping. Not that it mattered too much. He had yet to make his way back to Roy and become an annoyance once more. For that, the man was grateful. Not only did it keep Roy from getting too frustrated with the blond, but it meant that the doctor had less to scold him for.

Philip Armstrong had taken Catherine and his wife out to dinner. Alex had stayed behind with Roy and the others. It gave him a chance to catch up on what state the military was in. It was mostly a rather formal day, spent trying to get an idea who was dead, who wasn't, what higher ranks were now vacant and who would take their place. There were also repairs to be made to the buildings and squads that needed to be relocated for the time being.

"The rumours are never ending," Alex explained. "Most them say for sure young Edward and yourself died, however the reason for the missing bodies had sparked some of the most creative stories."

"Soldiers will talk," Roy said, as he paused with his meal. "That will happen. What do the higher ups seem to think?"

"It's hard to say, sir," Alex continued. "They are not speaking as openly as their men. Some clearly have no knowledge and others are very tight lipped about it all."

Roy nodded, slightly thinking about this. He finished off the last of his dinner as he pondered. Could someone high up in the chain be responsible for this? How high did it go? All the way to the Fuhrer, as it had with Bradley?

"Have they said anything at all?" Roy questioned. "How long before our absence becomes a disadvantage rather than our time to rest in peace?"

"It's hard to say," Alex answered. "If you have no intension of hiding, then another day might be too long. They're still assigning new offices, looking to fill positions due to the attack. They might try to give your position to someone else if you're missing for too long. They might even declare you AWOL if you are missing for too long and they managed to figure out you're not dead."

Alex's answer reinforced what Roy was thinking. Tomorrow might be another day too long away. Everything they have worked for, everything _he_ had worked for, would be gone. If they figured out he wasn't dead and declared AWOL, he could lose it all. Then his men might suffer for it as well.

"Tomorrow we will have to make an appearance then," Roy decided.

"And Edward, sir?" Hawkeye asked.

"I don't think we should drag Fullmetal around," Roy said. "He's a sitting duck at the moment. Taking him into headquarters would just put us in a bad position if he is as he is now. We should leave someone to look after them and see if we can't get the doctor to watch him during the day."

There wasn't a lot they could do with the kid. He wasn't alert, he was docile and a weak link at the moment. They needed to appear strong when they reappeared. Not fussing over the brat. If their attention was on him, the chances of another assassination succeeding would be higher.

Also Roy didn't need for anyone to see how clingy the kid was right now. If he acted like he was acting now at head office, then Roy would never live it down. All sorts of nasty rumours would begin; he would be called into questioning on the matter. Not a pleasant situation really. So it was just better off he be left behind for now.

"And if his whereabouts comes into questioning?" Hawkeye said, making sure they had every base covered.

Roy pondered on this silently as he linked his together. Family reasons might draw unwanted attention towards Risembool. Illness or injury would lead to wanting evidence of such and Roy did not want the kid's state to become knowledge of anyone outside their circle. Missions required paper trails. Day off after an attempt on his life is a little suspicious. Having Fullmetal declared AWOL was not a good idea either. Where or what could the kid be doing that wouldn't have a negative effect on their image or be questioned too closely? There was no real great answer for this.

"Stomach bug," Roy settled. "Fullmetal's always eating too much anyway. He had something bad for dinner and was unable to come to work tomorrow. If need be we'll see if we can't convince that doctor to write up a certificate for it if the higher ups get suspicious. It might get us through to the weekend at least."

Not everyone looked convinced at the idea, but it would have to do. What else could they say after all? Anything too big or little would draw attention to it. At least this was simple enough it might be accepted. And Fullmetal wasn't lying around his dorm, waiting to be attacked. He would be safe here. Armstrong had already taken them through the security measures already in place before this. Now they had their own on top they should be alright for now. Also when Fullmetal was back up to full strength they would have a force to be wary of.

"Perhaps while we are away," Roy spoke to Alex. "We could move Fullmetal into a secure location? So even if the enemy comes he will not be easily found?"

Alex rubbed his moustache as he thought about it.

"We have several hidden rooms that could be put to use," Alex commented. "It would probably be for the best to hide the boy there while not everyone is here to protect him."

"Thank you, Armstrong." Roy said gratefully. "I'm sure nothing will happen in our absence, but I would rather risk nothing."

It was settled then. They could only hope that Edward would remain docile enough to allow this. Though knowing his luck, the kid would recover enough tomorrow to fight tooth and nail at the idea of being protected. But there was always hope. The longer he was out of it, the easier it would be for his body to recover after all.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_He was in his office again. Only this time there was no Edward. Roy was confused. In the last two occasions the kid had been here, regardless of his want to see the boy. Now, when he actually wanted Edward to invade his mind and give him some answers, and he wasn't here._

_Slowly, Roy got up from his chair and began looking around the room as if the kid would be hiding somewhere, playing some stupid, childish game. At first it was just annoying, but after searching the room and finding nothing, he was quickly being frustrated._

"_Fullmetal?" He called out._

_Where was the brat? Not only had he been looking forward to this insanity, now he was actively searching for it. Perhaps that's what Edward traded, Roy's sanity. Not worth a life, but maybe an eye at least._

"_Fullmetal?!" he called out again, louder as he left the office to continue his search._

_Outside his office was the office his team shared. There was no blond brat to be found there either. Roy set out to search the entire building for him, his frustration now turning into anger. Could Edward have been drawn back into his body already? Was he too late? Would he not get at least some of the answers he sort?_

_He often called out for the boy, but he never got an answer. No hint that there was anyone else here in his mind. He was alone. Maybe he should have gone to bed earlier? Maybe he should have napped more during the day to get the answers? If what Edward said is true, then the boy would remember nothing. Any clues he had about his revival, his eye, would all be gone._

_Roy leaned against the wall of the corridor. He was running his fingers through his messy hair, thinking about what the hell he was going to do now. His answers were gone, his life was under threat and everything he had worked towards was being threatened._

"_You know," came a voice. "All I'm here from you is a lot of me, me, me. I knew you were a bastard, but I never realised you were truly so self-centred."_

_Roy's gaze shot up to find Edward leaning against the opposite wall to him. There he was. After searching the entire place, the kid just magically turned up?_

"_Where the hell have you been?" Roy snapped. "I've been looking for you."_

"_I know," Ed said casually as he inspected his gloves. "But I figured you would benefit from some alone time."_

"_Alone time?" Roy said in disbelieve. "According to you, you don't have long to give me the clues we need to figure out what the hell you did. And now you decide to waste it?"_

"_Oh?" Ed said, looking up. "So now you think about us? The 'we' in this situation? Forgive me, but I didn't see the point in sharing anything with an asshole that only seems to remember that other people are involved in this situation when it's convenient for him."_

"_What the hell are you on about?" Roy said, frowning._

"_I'm talking about you, Mustang." Ed said, taking the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. "_

"_You have a great goal. To change the way our government work, to protect your men and the people of this country."_

_Roy was backed into the wall as the boy approached. Only it wasn't really a boy in front of him. Not now. It was a lion. His eyes piercing, accusing. It made him nervous. Where was Ed going with this?_

"_However," Ed continued. "You have forgotten those you are trying to protect. I can understand you have taking some time to think about yourself, not a bad thing, considering your life is currently under attack. After all, you're human. But what is the point in this self-preservation if you lose everything anyway. The people you are trying to protect?"_

"_I never asked them to die for me," Roy snapped._

"_I'm not talking about dying." Ed told him. "You are being an asshole. Havoc seems to be the only one who had enough balls to tell you, even if it was only a half ass attempt at it. I've got no idea what's wrong with Hawkeye, but she should have put you in line already the instant you started to slip."_

"_I haven't-"_

"_You have," Ed interrupted before he got too far. "You have. It might be only slightly now. It might only be aimed at Havoc and I for the moment, but how long before you start yelling at Fury? Or snapping at Breda? They are just as stressed about this situation as you. Considering we probably in for a shit storm, I think we should be getting along, backing one another up, rather doubting each other."_

_Roy was stunned. Had he really been that bad? There had been, a few moments where he might not have been the most patient or understanding, but he hadn't been that bad. Right? It was mostly with Edward and his clinginess and the doctor pushing his buttons. Then there was Havoc ready to rile him up at any moment._

"_Havoc's an idiot," Ed said bluntly. "But he's dealing with this situation his way. Making jokes, teasing. Tell him to lay off if you can't handle it."_

_Roy suddenly felt ten years old all over again. His aunt lecturing him on how to deal with teasing and bullying. Sticks and stones. It wasn't something he had ever managed. Not well anyway._

"_You get shitty like that with me," Ed continued. "When I'm myself again, and I swear you'll wish for Hawkeye's bullet. I'm going to be confused, sick and bitchy as hell. I won't be in the mood for it. And honestly? I doubt you would put up with that type of behaviour from me."_

_Roy nodded slightly. He wouldn't let Edward behave like a brat. Not now. They had too much to do. Too much to prepare for. Too much to risk._

"_Right," Ed said, his voice sounding slightly lighter as he allowed a smile to come to his face. "You can be human. You can be selfish, but not to the point where you push people away, not now. You need your people close. You need to be close to them. Not putting distance between by being a prick. Understand?"_

_Roy nodded again. He couldn't believe he had gotten this lecture from Fullmetal of all people. Hawkeye had promised him that she would keep him straight. So why hadn't she noticed this? She was always quick to knock some sense into him when he got like this. Especially since Maes was no longer there to do it._

"_Now," Edward stepped to the side and gestured to a door that appeared in front of them. "You wanted to see how I got Al back?"_


	18. Chapter 17

AN: **WARNING! *Spoilers* This is pretty much just a script of a part of Episode 50. I don't take credit for it. Just a bit of a recap. Another chapter will be up shortly to make up for it.**

Chapter 17

_Roy looked at Edward, unsure for a moment. This is what he had been waiting for all night. His answers. No, their answers. The boy's gaze had softened slightly. No longer accusing or angry. Edward opened the door and invited Roy to step inside._

_Calmly, Roy dusted himself off before walking through the door. _

"_Figures," Roy commented. "You would practically make me wait all night before we finally got to the point."_

"_Watch it, Mustang." Edward said with a chuckle. "Don't make me put my foot up your ass."_

_Edward followed him, shutting the door behind them. They were in complete darkness. Nothing could be seen or heard. Roy couldn't even see Edward. _

"_Fullmetal?" He called out into the darkness._

"_I'm here, Mustang." Came Edward's voice. "Just give it a moment."_

_Suddenly there was a bright blue light before them. A transmutation circle glowed in the darkness. In the circle lay a suit of armour. Alphonse. It must be him. Slowly, the rest of the room lit up as well. They appeared to be in an opera house. More figures were revealed. Two women in fancy, frilly dresses. One was holding a baby. A child with two limbs missing lay on the floor sobbing. Another with long green hair was sneering not too far away. Another large figure was drooling everywhere and seemed to have a manic look about him. Homunculi. Edward had told him about these creatures. Wrath, Envy and Gluttony. _

"_I've only just managed to get back to Dante's hideout," Edward said as he stood next to Mustang. "I don't really remember getting back here too well. The rest of the story before this I could probably tell you about when I'm awake, but I don't think it would hold any real clues for us. This is when the ball starts to roll."_

_Just then Ed burst into the room. His automail hand wasn't covered and didn't seem to have its usual shine to it. His red coat was missing, leaving the boy in just his leather pants and black jacket. The boy didn't seem hurt or anything for the moment. Roy wasn't sure if that would be any reassurance considering who was still in the room._

"_Brother?" Alphonse called from the circle._

"_Al!" Ed yelled back, looking happy to see his brother still in one piece._

"_That was quite an amazing feat, Edward." Came a familiar voice._

_Roy and the past Edward both stared at Doctor Marcoh, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. Roy was confused. He hadn't been here earlier, had he?_

"_Doctor Marcoh?" Ed questioned, sounding confused. "I never did know where you went?"_

_Suddenly there was a bright light and Maes stood where Marcoh once was._

_Edward looked as pissed as Roy felt. How dare that piece of filth use that form. Roy left a hand on his shoulder. Roy knew Ed was trying to bring him some sort of comfort, but he wasn't sure if it helped. Not when he missed Maes so much._

"_Sure you did, Ed." The fake Maes said. "After all, you were the one that found the old dog and just waved goodbye as he went into the Furher's custody. Now that was a great idea. The poor man ended up in that thing's stomach."_

_Maes motioned to Gluttony, who was looking hungrier than ever. Ed had a look of guilt flash over his face. The kid had never been into killing, or liking the idea that someone died indirectly due to his actions._

"_He wouldn't have died if you hadn't of tracked him down," Maes continued, laying the guilt on thickly."_

_Ed turned sharply to look back at Maes, his teeth bared as his angry increased._

"_Of course you were bad luck for a lot of us," Maes said as he pulled out his signature throwing knives. "Weren't you?"_

_Maes threw the knives towards Ed, his precision just as good as the man Envy was pretending to be. It was probably only Ed's own highly honed reflexes that helped him dodge in time. Though it seemed Maes wasn't ready to let the verbal assault drop yet._

"_I would still be with my wife and adorable little girl if I hadn't met you," Maes sneered. "It must be tough fighting against a friend you've already killed once."_

_Maes ran towards Ed, knives at the ready. Maes slashed quickly at Ed, but Ed was quicker dropping to the ground and rolling away from his attacker. Ed was quick to turn back to face his opponent who wasted no time in coming after the boy, slashing again. Ed ducked again and again as the attacks came, working his way behind his opponent. _

_Once Ed was behind the fake he grasped Maes wrist, turning it behind his back. Then with his automail arm against Maes neck, he forced his opponent off balance enough to make Maes drop his weapon. As Maes grabbed his automail arm, Ed kicked out his leg, bringing his opponent down to his height._

_Roy had seen Edward fight many times in his assessments, but this went beyond those. This was a real fight and Ed was proving he was well and truly a lethal weapon with or without his alchemy._

"_Is that all you've got?" Ed snarled. _

"_Release me," Maes gasped. _

"_Impersonations?" Ed demanded. "With guilt trips attached?"_

"_Damn you," Maes whispered. _

"_You'll have to do better than that!" Ed told him. "You're still a homunculus under that face. Have you forgotten what I did to your friend Sloth? I killed her while she was wearing the face of my own mother!"_

"_Really?" Maes said, as his morphed into what Roy could guess was Edward's mother. "That must have been very hard for you."_

_The woman Envy turned into was obviously the homunculus version of Edward's mother, given the dress and style they all seemed to wear. Her head had twisted round to face Ed and suddenly elbowed him in the stomach with her free arm, forcing him back from her. She chuckled as she slowly stood up, changing back into the form Envy seemed to prefer._

"_So not as tough as you think?" Envy mocked him. _

_Edward clapped his hands for the first time in this fight._

"_I would reconsider the use of alchemy if I were you," claimed one of the women._

_Edward glanced at Alphonse. _

"_And you think I'm going to listen to you?" Edward challenged her._

"_Go ahead and use it if you want," Envy dared him. "It's not like I care what happens to your brother."_

"_The philosopher stone is already been activated," the woman explained. "If transmutations occur near him, who know what could happen."_

_Edward looked torn. He was fighting a difficult fight and now his abilities were limited with this insight. Alphonse was just as distressed by the news. During this moment Envy had taken the time to get very close to Edward, so when he spoke, he was practically talking face to face with the blond._

"_Let's find out," Envy sneered as he shoved his knee into Edward's stomach._

_The force of the blow lifted Edward off the ground and back a few paces. The boy tried to right himself, while countering with a punch but the creature easily ducked under it and sent a jab into Ed's ribs. Then while Edward was still recovering from that blow, a spin quick from Envy sent Edward to the ground._

_Ed was quick to recover, rolling away before getting back onto his feet to run back into the fight._

"_You're going to pay for that!" Ed yelled as he threw another punch._

_Once again, Envy dodge the attack and continued to dodge Edwards advances as he danced around the room. _

"_Keep trying, Ed." The creature mocked him, as he back flipped away, before jumping high into the air._

_Roy watched as the creature twirled in a graceful acrobatic display. Envy wasn't just mocking Ed verbally, but with his physical prowess. _

"_I'm much stronger then you," Envy stated._

_Wrath grabbed Envy's foot when he landed. Envy automatically turned to assault Wrath, having no regard for his own kind. Edward took the chance to tackle Envy to the ground. They rolled and rolled together but in the end, Ed was on top, struggling to hold Envy down. Ed started to punch Envy in the face. After the first hit, he changed his face into Sloth's._

"_Don't hurt me, Edward." His mother pleaded._

"_Don't fuck with me!" Ed yelled at the demon as he threw another punch._

_Sloth changed to Doctor Marcoh._

"_Edward please stop it!" The man cried._

_Edward back handed him without a second thought. The face then became Maes once more. _

"_Calm down," It said almost gently, only to be hit again._

_Suddenly Roy's own face was there. Though Roy almost laughed. Like his face would stop Fullmetal!_

"_Give up, kid." His voice said. "You don't have what it takes to kill me."_

"_I don't think you could have picked an easier target!" Ed grinned, as he threw yet another punch. "Show me what you really look like! Instead of being a coward, whose only real power is to hide behind other people's faces!"_

_Punch after punch was thrown, Envy's face had returned to his own. And yet he was smiling. Or grinning really, manically._

"_Do you really want to see?" Envy sneered. _

"_Stop jerking me around!" Edward yelled as he pulled back for another punch._

"_You asked for it!" Envy said as he changed once again before the punch hit._

_Only the punch never hit. Edward looked so upset by what lay before them. Roy himself was a little confused._

"_What's wrong?" Asked a new voice from Envy. "I thought you wanted to see."_

_The creature now looked similar to Edward. Similar to Hohenheim. Edward was shaking, very much so. _

"_You're his son…" Edward whispered._

"_Envy was the very first Homunculi," the woman explained. "Created by Hohenheim, almost four hundred years ago as a result of the failed human transmutation of our son who had died prematurely of mercy poisoning. I suppose you could say that Envy was once your brother."_

"_But then he abandoned me," Envy said softly. "Started fresh with his perfect wife and kids. Needless to say, I never did like being replaced."_

_Suddenly, without warning, Envy's hand changed into a metal blade and impaled itself through Edward's torso, coming right out the other side. Roy felt ill watching it, imagining how he what watched for the most part of Edward being shot just a few days ago._

_Blood dripped from Edward's mouth as he slid off Envy's blade as the creature got up. The boy lay motionless on the ground. Blood seeping from his body, forming a red pool around him._

_The room around them began to fade. Alphonse call for his brother could be heard. As could the other woman who had just spoken for the first time. Her screams for Edward rang loudly and echoed around them as they returned to the darkness._


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_Roy glanced at Ed through the darkness._

"_So what happened?" He asked, wondering why the scene wasn't continuing._

"_I went to the gate," Ed shrugged. "Though I was there for longer than the time I showed you. I don't think my reaction happened as instantly as it had before for some reason."_

_There was a silence before the darkness lifted. They were still in the opera house. Roy could see the dark skinned girl cradling Ed's head on her knees, while holding a baby in one arm. He wasn't conscious, but Mustang could see he was breathing at least. Even if every breath seemed to be pained. Close by, he could see someone new. Alphonse. A very naked Alphonse, only just waking up._

_Alphonse was slow to wake. He curled up into a ball, shivering on the ground. Then suddenly his eyes burst open. He began to look around frantically._

"_B-Brother?" Came the timid voice._

_The girl looked up at the boy._

"_Alphonse?" She whispered._

"_W-Who are you?" Al asked. "Where am I?"_

_The boy suddenly became aware he was lacking clothing and was quick to scrabble behind the nearest pillar. The girl merely smiled at the shy behaviour._

"_It's Rose," She said softly. "Don't you remember me?"_

_Al peeked out from behind the pillar to shake his head. His gaze landed on Ed and frowned. Edward may have aged but he still resembled the boy from all those year ago._

"_Who's that?" He asked._

"_Edward," Rose said calmly. "Your brother?"_

_Al's frown increased. _

"_But…" Al began. "He's old… He's not that old!"_

_Al was starting to cry. He was scared, cold and so lost. The girl lifted Ed's head and placed it gently on the ground. She put her baby down as well in the crook of Ed's real arm. She went over and tore a nearby curtain down and approached the boy._

"_Here…" She placed it down by the pillar before turning her back. "I'm sorry I don't have anything else for you."_

_Al watched her back for a few moments before darting out to grab the curtain. As quickly as he moved out, he bolted back to his hiding spot. The curtain was ridiculously long, even if Al had been adult sized. Now it was practically a tent._

"_I need to go and get help for your brother," she told the boy as she went back to pick up her baby. "Could you watch him?"_

_Al was silent. Obviously, unsure of if this really was his brother and being left alone with the unconscious boy._

"_I won't be long," She promised as she retrieved her baby._

"_O-Okay…" He stuttered._

_She left and the darkness returned. _

"_She got help," Ed said. "We went to the hospital and I had a hell of a time recovering and convincing Al about what had happened. Took months to get him to believe so much time had passed since that night and I was really his brother. Even with me in his head for a short time."_

_Roy nodded, unsure about what to say. He wasn't even sure if any of this had even helped really._

"_Rose Thomas," Ed said quietly. "She saw it all. If there are any clues, she has them. You need to find her."_

_Roy blinked. Of course. During the time Ed died and Al woke up, a lot happened. The Homunculi were gone, so was the other lady and Al was human. They had an eye witness! _

"_Any ideas where she is?" Roy asked._

"_Liore," Ed said. "I sometimes still get letters from her."_

"_Got it," Roy said with confidence. _

_It was a small clue, but it was better then nothing._

"_One more thing," Ed said, his voice suddenly firmer. "Don't leave me behind tomorrow."_

_Roy frowned._

"_What are we meant to do?" Roy said. "Drag you to work with us? Don't be stupid. You'll be a sitting duck and make work harder on everyone else."_

"_Mustang," Ed said seriously. "I'm asking you to trust me on this. My gut is telling me that something really bad is going to happen if I'm not with you."_

"_Your gut?" Roy said, unbelieving. "Oh! That changes everything! Fullmetal's gut has a bad feeling! Sure! We'll take you, and then we'll both die again!"_

"_At least there'll be a chance it won't be permanent!" Ed fired back._

"_But how long will this continue?" Roy questioned him. "Is it an ability that will never end? We don't even know the true cost of it yet!"_

"_Fine!" Ed spat. "Leave me! Then you'll die, and you'll stay that way!"_

_Ed's words were left hanging in the air. The blond was seething. Roy was unmoving in his decision. He would not risk Edward more than necessary. Especially in his current state. After a long silence, Ed spoke._

"_I thought you counted me as part of your team," Ed said quietly. "That you trusted me."_

"_And I thought you said we need stop being selfish," Roy remarked. "Asking me to take you is selfish, Ed. You're risking everyone's lives for a gut instinct."_

"_If I can somehow keep you all from a permanent death," Ed said firmly. "Then I don't care about the cost. You are my friend. I don't want you died and know that somehow I could have prevented. You wouldn't be of much use to this country dead after all."_

_Roy was conflicted. Ed was always placing so little importance in his own being. He had a point, but they couldn't rely on Ed's strange ability. There was too much risk. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. This was just giving him a headache. Only Fullmetal could give a headache within his own dream. When Roy reopened his eyes, he found Ed was gone._

_Roy opened his mouth to call for the alchemist-_

"Edward?" His eyes sprang open.

He was back in the waking world.


End file.
